Adoption "Options"?

This was a story on the Today Show this morning and will be part of a special series starting on Nightly News.

Gist: There is an underground community (?) that people can contact to "re-home" kids they've adopted internationally. I don't know if its only international children or any adopted child but the focus were on those who were adopted out of the country this morning. The woman doing the investigation said people post on different chat rooms (yahoo had 6 different rooms they shut down within hours of being contacted by the woman doing the story) saying they can't do it and want the kid gone. It can be as simple as just meeting someone at a truck stop and giving someone else all the kids belongings. No lawyer, no background check, nothing. It isn't considered trafficking because typically no money is exchanged. Making this perfectly legal.

Debate: When are we as a country going to do an overhaul of all adoption procedures? And is there a way to prevent this type of...child exchange? Should there be a "way out" when you adopt a child and decide it isn't what you wanted anymore?

The woman who did the reporting said it isn't even illegal if its your biogical child. And they did say that sometimes what happens is the child has undisclosed behavioral or health issues and that can contribute to the decision to re-home. But that goes back to PP who said there should be more support to those who adopt. Or anyone who has kids, really.

The reporter (really should have paid attention to her name) said that sometimes there is a paper signed but not always. And not to be morbid but what happens if that child ends up dead? Are those papers legally binding? And if nothing's signed, who do the police look for? Whether for an investigation or notification?

My initial reaction to you all is "fuck you", but I realize that's unreasonable and unfair.

How many of you have been scared of your children? How many of you have put up alarms to make sure a child doesn't get up in the middle of the night and murder everyone else? Have you been hit, kicked, and punched by a child that's getting close to becoming stronger than you? Have you called every organization in the state to find out what your options are, only to be told you have none? Have you called the cops on your kids and had them tell you there's nothing they can do? Have you depleted all your funds to help a child and get him treatment, making it impossible to afford a lawyer to handle the legalities of disruption? Have you been to the point where your entire family is ar risk because of a child?

Judge away. People like me and the parents that have endured this stuff for years know you judge and think horribly of us. We also know you don't have the guts to walk in our shoes, to step out and love a child that has come from desperate trauma and call him your own. When things get bad and safety is seriouly compromised, sometimes we have to make decisions that some of you could never dream of.

Um, how is this not illegal? It shouldn't matter that no money was involved, it may not be considered trafficking but it's child abandonment, and endangerment, which you can face criminal charges for. Just because they're adopted doesn't make them any less your child. Abandoning your child, with a perfect stranger no less, should absolutely be a punishable offense.

I did not read the link, but I'm not understanding how this is legal. There is more to adoption than signing a single piece of paper

Anyway, The situation is very sad. The child was clearly wanted at one point, as inter country adoption is not an easy process to go through. I wish the mother could have sought out more options or support, but find it hard to judge as I have been in her shoes

My child came to this country with some problems, typically associated with children from orphanages. It was very, very hard. There were times that I would sit in a corner and cry. I had times when i questioned whether or not I did the right thing in adopting him. I had a good support team and we worked through it.My son is now 6 and is the light of my life